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APC and PDP

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the Buhari Administration will not micro-manage the anti-corruption agencies, hence it is wrong for the PDP to accuse the APC-led Federal Government of unleashing the agencies against the opposition. In a statement issued in Lagos on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also dismissed the allegation by the PDP that the anti-corruption war of the Buhari Administration is selective, calling it a worn-out argument. ''The ceaseless cry of selective anti-corruption battle is a bogey invented by the PDP to intimidate the anti-corruption agencies, and it will not work. It is the PDP's strategy to stifle the fight against corruption. ''How can the PDP claim to support the anti-graft battle when every time any of its members is called in for questioning, it runs to the media to shout that the battle is 'selective'? Is it possible that anyone who is invited for questioning will not belong to a party, an ethnic group or a certain faith?'' it queried. APC said the anti-corruption agencies have a duty to investigate petitions sent to them, irrespective of who is involved, but noted that invitation for questioning is not the same as conviction. ''Those who have nothing to fear must be willing to clear their names by honouring any invitation, and only the guilty needs be afraid. The PDP must stop being hysterical over such invitations which are not going to stop simply because the opposition has called a press conference to cry wolf where there is none,'' the party said.

Ooni-elect

The ancient town of ile Ife, Osun State, went into a frenzy today as their 40-year-old Ooni-elect, Prince Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi began made a triumphal royal entry into the town preparatory to his installation as the 51st Ooni. He is expected to under go necessary traditional rites before he could be crowned as the Ooni. The Oba-elect from the Giesi Ruling House rode into the acclaimed ancestral home of the Yoruba, at about 1.58pm local time in a convoy of hundreds of vehicles and personalities including former president Olusegun Obasanjo amid drumming, dancing and praises. It was learnt that the Ooni had left his Ibadan, Oyo State home at about 11.35am in the company of his family members, business associates, childhood friends among others . As early as 8am, members of the Ife Traditional Council, the Isoros, notable chiefs, kingmakers, indigenes and non-indigenes alike thronged major streets of Ife to receive the monarch amid pomp. Jubilant residents and relatives of the Ooni elect made their way to Ibadan-ife expressway to cheer and welcome Oba Ogunwusi in different attires bearing the portraits of the first class monarch in Yorubaland. Before Ogunwusi's arrival, the jubilant crowd danced and sang praises of him praying for his long reign. Prince Oguwusi who dressed in white agbada with a purple cap was received by a large crowd, who went gaga as his convoy of vehicles stopped at the Ibadan-Expressway boundary of Ife at about 1.58p.m. Amid cheers and long entourage, Ogunwusi who was accompanied by Prof. Adekanye Aderibigbe, the chairman of the screening committee of the Giesi Ruling House was received by his father, Prince Oluropo Ogunwusi, kingmakers and traditional chiefs. Leaders of Igbo, Hausa communities and other tribes were also on ground to receive the new Ooni. Various trade associations Ife, Ife youths, primary and secondary schools' students, student union leaders of the Obafemi Awolowo University and other tertiary institutions in Ife took to the streets of Ife to usher in the new Oba Upon arrival, he visited some important places including his family house at, the Agbedegbe house, the Obalufe's compound for the first traditional rite of feet washing and later installed as Sooko. It is mandatory that any Ooni must be initiated into the Sooko group, which automatically confers on him leadership of his ruling house. Clad in white attire, with a white cloth tied around his head, the Ooni, who arrived Waluberin, where he was initiated as Sooko acknowleged cheers from the crowd. Amid chanting of Ife songs, Prince Ogunwusi, who at about 6.04p.m.emerged from an inner room after being installed Sooko danced to the delight of people amid tight security. As part of, the rites, the Ooni was expected to have prostrated seven times before the traditional chiefs and kingmakers after which it will become a, taboo, for him to prostrate, for anyone again in life. By tomorrow, Thursday, he would proceed to Ilofi where he would carry out other traditional rites for the next 21 days before he would be crowned Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ojaja II.

Customs CG, Hameed Ali

The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (Rtd) has approved the appointment of Six acting Deputy Comptrollers-General of Customs in the on-going re-organisation in the Service. The six Officers, who are of the rank of Assistant Comptroller-General, will occupy the positions of Deputy-Comptrollers-General in acting capacity.Those appointed are:

I. ACG Idris Suleiman (Finance Administration and Technical Service)

II. ACG Iya Umar (Tariff and Trade)

III. ACG Dan Ugo (Enforcement Investigation and Inspection)

IV. ACG Grace Adeyemo (Excise, FTZ & Industrial Incentive)

V. ACG Austin Warikoru (Human Resource Development)

VI.ACG Paul Ukaigwe (Strategic Research and Policy)

In the same vein, eight Comptrollers were similarly announced to occupy the positions of Assistant Comptrollers-General created in the exercise. They are to occupy the new offices in acting capacity. They are:

I. Comptroller Umar Sanusi mni (ACG Headquarters)

II. Comptroller Funsho Adegoke (ACG ICT)

III.Comptroller Mohammed Abbas mni (ACG Board)

IV. Comptroller Olatunji Aremu mni (Command & Staff College)

V. Comptroller Charles Edike (Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘A’)

VI. Comptroller Abubakar Dangaladima (Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘B’)

VII. Comptroller Azarema Abdulkadir (Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘C’)

VIII. Comptroller Chidi Augustine (Zonal Coordinator Zone ‘D’)

Seven Officers were equally redeployed in the new exercise. They are:

I. ACG Adesina Odunmbaku (Finance and Technical Service)

II. ACG Robert Alu (Tariff and Trade)

III. ACG Ade Dosumu (Enforcement and Drugs)

IV. ACG Monday Abueh mni (Excise & Industrial Incentive)

V. ACG Ahmed Mohammed mni (Human Resource Management)

VI. ACG Patience Iferi (Strategic Research and Policy) and

VII. Comptroller Aminu Abba (Technical Services)

The Changes which take immediate effect came on the heels of the forced resignation of five DCGs and sack of 29 other senior officers last week. The Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali has however urged the newly – appointed Officers to redouble their efforts to justify their new responsibilities.

Sure-P

President Muhammadu Buhari has scrapped the controversial multi-billion naira Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) set up by the administration of Goodluck Jonathan. The order was delivered to the SURE-P committee via a letter from the office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in mid September. President Buhari in the letter through the SGF, Babachir David Lawal directed the committee headed by Ishaya Dary Akau to wind down the operations of SURE-P on or before October 31, 2015 and submit a comprehensive report of its activities to the presidency. Buhari also ordered a probe into the activities, funding and expenditure of the agency. SURE-P was an interventionist project, where funds come from the partial removal of oil subsidy in 2012 were used to carry out projects determined by the federal government. The money accrued was shared to the states and local governments. Most of these projects carried out by SURE-P programme were in categories; component A; Social safetiness, Component B; Niger-Delta Development project; Component C; road infrastructure projects; Component D; rail transport project, Component E; water and agricultural projects, Component F; selected power projects, Component G; Petroleum NNPC Projects, Component H; ICT projects. The first chairman of the SURE-P committee was boardroom guru, Dr. Christopher Kolade, after his resignation, Gen. Martins Agwai was named until he was sacked towards the end of Jonathan's administration and Akau was named to replace under whom the agency has been scrapped

logoPDP1a

The Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), has again accused the Nigerian judiciary of working as an appendage of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).Reacting to the judgment of Taraba state gubernatorial election tribunal which ruled in favour of APC candidate, Hajia Aisha Jummai Alhassan, National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Olisa Metuh in a statement today, said the judgment "is another evidence of executive interference in the judiciary." Metuh declared that the reason advanced by the tribunal for arriving at what he called a "bizarre decision is intriguing and further exposes the contradictions and double standards inherent in most tribunal rulings against PDP interests recently." Metuh further claimed that the Taraba state tribunal judgment against the candidate of the PDP has again demonstrated "the organized plan by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC Federal Government to deploy all unorthodox means to decimate the opposition. "It is rather curious and a great conflict of irony that the Taraba tribunal sitting in Abuja on security grounds faulted the conduct of PDP primaries shifted to the same Abuja on security reasons”, the party stressed. The PDP said if the tribunal was faulting the party primaries as basis for its decision, it then means that no APC gubernatorial candidate could stand the test, as their party never had acceptable primaries in any of their states. "The PDP wants democracy watchers globally to recall that it had earlier alerted the nation and the international community of the grand design by the APC to use the judiciary to wrestle some PDP states, particularly Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Taraba states. “Evidence that Taraba ruling was a product of Presidency manipulation can be deduced from the fact that few hours before the judgment was delivered, the APC had arrogantly announced their victory on the new media.” PDP said it was totally confounded by the brazen show of power by the executive and warned that the development clearly portends grave danger to Nigeria’s democracy and indeed national cohesion and development. It however pleaded with PDP faithful " across the country, especially in Taraba state to remain undaunted as the appellate courts will restore its well-deserved victory."

List of wanted Boko Haram leaders

Barely 24 hours after apprehending a wanted leader of the Boko Haram leader, Chindo Bello at the Abuja airport, the Nigerian army has arrested another wanted sect leader in Adamawa state. Army spokesman, Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman said the suspect, one Ishaku Wardifen, was nabbed by vigilant troops of 23 Brigade Special Battalion at a check point in Maiha, Adamawa State. He said preliminary investigation shows the suspect is a Cameroonian citizen, adding that "visual matching with photographs on the poster of the 100 declared suspected Boko Haram terrorists wanted list released by the Nigerian last month, shows that he clearly resembles the suspect on serial number 22 on the list." "The suspect has been handed over to military intelligence for further investigation and possible prosecution," the army spokesman said. He urged Nigerians to be more vigilant and security conscious to enable the military get rid of Boko Haram, insurgency and terrorism in the country. The military had on Sunday announced the arrest of one Chindo Bello by Aviation Security at Abuja airport as he was boarding a commercial flight to Lagos. Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.Gen Tukur Buratai last month unveiled photographs of 100 suspected Boko Haram fighters on the wanted list of the military. He said the wanted suspects are linked with various terror activities and violent attacks in the troubled northeast states.

New HOS, Oyo-Ita

Barely 24 hours after sacking EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde, President Muhammadu Buhari has today booted out of Civil Service of the Federation 20 Permanent Secretaries. This is also coming barely 24 hours to the swearing in of Ministers-designate.The affected Permanent Secretaries include those of Power, Petroleum, Finance, Defence, Housing, Transport and Urban Development and Special Duties. Their retirement is a follow-up to the recent appointment of a new Head of Service, Mrs Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita who is their junior in service. Buhari was said to have broken the sad news to the affected officials at a meeting he had with them inside the Presidential Villa earlier today, Tuesday. They were led to the closed-door meeting by the acting Head of Service.

Biafra protesters in PH

Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike, has banned Biafra protests and all unauthorized gatherings in the state, warning that defaulters of the order would be arrested and prosecuted. Wike issued the order today following demonstrations by pro-Biafra agitators, who paralysed business activities and caused tension in the state. The governor, who noted that the protest was the second time in a month, warned that his government would not fold its hands and watch the state turned into a hotbed of crisis by any group. His words: "My dear people of Rivers State, For the second time within a month individuals and groups purporting to represent the indigenous people of Biafra have held unauthorized protests on the streets in Port Harcourt. "Majority of these individuals have come from neighbouring States and in the course of these protests, disrupted social and economic activities, damaged properties, assaulted and inflicted injuries on other citizens going about their lawful endeavours. Our government was elected on a mandate, and has sworn to an oath, to defend the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. "Therefore, the Rivers State Government will not fold its arms and allow members of the indigenous people of Biafra or any other group to turn the State or any part thereof into a hotbed of unlawful protests against the unity and peaceful co-existence of the various peoples and ethnic groups within the Federal Republic of Nigeria. "Consequently, after due consultations with the members of the State Security Council, and in exercise of my constitutional responsibility to preserve the safety, security and corporate integrity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it is hereby ordered that all forms of street protests, demonstrations, rallies or unlawful gatherings associated with the agitations for the secession of any group from the Federal Republic of Nigeria are banned in Rivers State". He said that, while individuals and groups were free to exercise their freedom of expression, they must do so peacefully and strictly within the bounds of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. "No individual or group has the right, whatsoever, to disturb public peace and order, threaten the safety of the public and create fear and an atmosphere of insecurity in the State or any part thereof. "The right of any group of persons to agitate for their perceived rights cannot be allowed to infringed on the rights of other Nigerians, especially the people of Rivers State to remain an integral component of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Any person or group who violates this ban or acts in any manner prejudicial to the interest of peace and security would be arrested and prosecuted. "While we commend the security agencies for their maturity in handling the situation foisted on us, I call on the people and residents of Rivers State to be more vigilant and report any further activities that threaten public peace, order, safety and security to any of the law enforcement agencies for immediate action. "Finally, let no one be in doubt of the resolve of the Rivers State Government and the security agencies to maintain law and order at all cost within the State and preserve the unity of the Federal Republic of Nigeria", he declared.

Nasarawa state university

An ad-hoc Committee on Education set up by the Nasarawa State House of Assembly to investigate the 2015/2016 academic session admission scam rocking the state university has accused the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Mainoma Mohammed Akaro of allocating 2,483 admission slot to himself. Chairman of House Committee on Education, Daniel Oga Ogazy who disclosed this on the floor of the House also said the vice chancellor in the course of giving admission sidelined the Register of the university, Dr. Dalhatu Mamman and other principal officers of the university. Ogazy further disclosed that Prof. Mainoma expelled 17 law students of the institution without following due process. Pointing out that there were irregularities in their admission, Ogazy further stated that non-indigenes were ‎admitted with fake indigene certificates from various local governments of the state, hence, the need for desk officers being appointed from various local governments to ascertain the indigene certificates of some candidates admitted into the university. Ogazy, therefore, observed that before the release of the supplementary list expected any moment from now, the full report would be released to the public. It was gathered that already, the VC has been suspended. Contacted on this, Public Relations Officer of the institution, Jamil Zakari confirmed that the vice chancellor has been suspended for allegedly giving more admissions to non-indigenes.

Buhari at IDP in Yola

President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Yola, honoured three soldiers who sustained serious injuries in ongoing operations against Boko Haram with the Purple Heart medal for gallantry, during a morale-boosting visit to the Nigerian military in Adamawa State. At the conferment ceremony, President Buhari said that the honour to the three wounded soldiers was in appreciation of their heroic contributions to the ongoing effort by the Nigerian Armed Forces to end the Boko Haram insurgency. “These very deserved medals are in recognition of your sacrifices. I hope it will inspire you to give more to the nation and I urge you to maintain your determination to bring peace to our fatherland. “With what I have seen today, I believe that the Boko Haram are very close to defeat and I urge you to quickly clear the remnants of these criminals from wherever they may still be hiding. I also urge you to remain vigilant, alert and focused to prevent Boko Haram from sneaking into our communities to attack soft targets,’’ the President said. Those decorated with the Purple Heart medal are Lance Corporal Kenneth Kulugh who was wounded in a battle with Boko Haram at Magar Bridge, near Madagali. Others are Private Anthony Sunday was wounded in a battle with Boko Haram at Gubla in Adamawa State and Private Danga Umar who sustained multiple gunshot injuries to both thighs at Magar Bridge, near Madagali. Accompanied by the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen Tukur Buratai, the President also presented Operation Lafiya Dole medals to other four soldiers. The Operation Lafiya Dole medal is presented to men and officers of the Nigerian Armed Forces who have served gallantly in theatre of operations in the North east beyond six months. Commending the armed forces for successes so far recorded in the ongoing fight against the insurgents, President Buhari urged them to remain focused on the objective of completely defeating Boko Haram before the end of the year. The President assured them that the welfare of troops in the frontline states will continue to be improved by his administration. President Buhari urged the army to continue to operate within its rules of engagement and with due regard for human rights and its responsibility to protect civilians in areas of conflict. The President also visited the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Malkohio, Jimieta, Yola, where he assured the IDPs that the Federal Government was doing everything possible to ensure the safe return of all displaced Nigerians to their native communities. President Buhari paid a courtesy visit to Lamido Adamawa, Dr Muhamamdu Barkindo Aliyu Mustapha and rounded-off his visit to Adamawa by attending the Wedding Fatiha of three daughters of Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, after attending the Jumat Prayer at the Airforce Mosque in Jibson Jalo Army Barracks, Jimeta, Yola. He was accompanied on the trip to Adamawa State by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Senator Ahmed Lawan and Senator Kabir Garba Marafa.

French police on guard in Paris

French President Francois Hollande says the attacks in Paris that have killed 129 people were "an act of war" organised from abroad by Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) group with internal help. A state of emergency has been declared across France after armed men, some wearing suicide belts, carried out six separate attacks in the French capital on Friday. "Faced with war, the country must take appropriate action," Hollande said in a televised address on Saturday, without elaborating further, as ISIL claimed responsibility for the attacks. He said he would address parliament on Monday in an extraordinary meeting and the country would observe three days of official mourning for the victims. Friday night's attacks at a concert hall, stadium and cafes and restaurants in northern and eastern Paris were "an act of war committed by Daesh that was prepared, organised and planned from outside [France]" with help from inside France, Hollande said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIL. "France will not show any pity against the barbaric acts by ISIL. All measures to protect our compatriots and our territory are being taken within the framework of the state of emergency," he said. Paris Prosecutor Francois Molins said late on Saturday that the attacks had been carried out by three teams of "terrorists". Across the border, Belgian police arrested several people in relation to the Paris attacks during searches in a district of Brussels, the Belgian justice minister said on Saturday night. Shortly after Hollande's televised address on Saturday, ISIL said in a statement that its fighters strapped with suicide bombing belts and carrying machine guns carried out the attacks in various locations which had been carefully studied. "As long as you keep bombing you will not live in peace. You will even fear travelling to the market," said a bearded Arabic-speaking man, flanked by others. The coordinated assault came as France, a member of the US-led coalition waging air strikes against ISIL fighters in Syria and Iraq, was on high alert for attacks ahead of a global climate conference due to open later this month. The deadliest attack was on the Bataclan, a popular concert venue where a Californian rock group, Eagles of Death Metal, was performing. The concert hall is just a few hundred metres from the former offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, target of a deadly attack by armed men in January. "It was carnage in that concert hall," John Laurenson, a freelance journalist, told Al Jazeera from Paris, adding that the death toll was higher than initially announced. French media, citing police sources, say that authorities have identified one of the attackers as a young Frenchman, who was flagged in the past for links with "extremist" activities. The assailants launched at least six gun-and-bomb attacks in rapid succession on apparently indiscriminate civilian targets. Three suicide bombs targeted spots around the national Stade de France stadium, north of the capital, where Hollande was watching an exhibition football match between France and Germany. Fans inside the stadium recoiled at the sound of explosions, but the match continued amid rising spectator fears. Around the same time, attackers targeted a string of cafes in a trendy Paris neighbourhood, which were crowded on an unusually balmy November night. At least 37 people were killed there, according to Francois Molins, a prosecutor. The attackers next stormed the Bataclan concert hall. They opened fire on the panicked audience and took some hostage. As police closed in, three detonated explosive belts, killing themselves, according to Michel Cadot, the Paris police chief. Another attacker detonated a suicide bomb on Boulevard Voltaire, near the music hall, the prosecutor's office said. Video shot from an apartment balcony and posted on the Le Monde website on Saturday captured some of that horror as dozens of people fled from gunfire outside the Bataclan down a passageway to a side street. At least one person is seen writhing on the ground as scores more stream past, some of them bloodied or limping. The camera pans down the street to reveal more fleeing people dragging two bodies along the ground. In other decisions, Hollande declared a state of emergency and announced renewed border checks along frontiers that are normally open under Europe's free-travel zone. In a televised address on Friday night, he appealed to citizens to maintain "a determined France, a united France, a France that joins together and a France that will not allow itself to be staggered, even if today there is infinite emotion faced with this disaster, this tragedy, which is an abomination, because it is barbarism." The Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, cinemas and other tourist sites have been closed indefinitely. France has been on edge since January, when armed men attacked the satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo, which had run cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, and a Jewish supermarket. Twenty people died in those attacks, including three shooters. France has seen several smaller-scale attacks or attempts this year, including on a high-speed train in August when American travellers overpowered a heavily armed man. French authorities are particularly concerned about the threat from hundreds of French fighters who have travelled to Syria and returned home with skills to mount attacks. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Saturday that the policies of some Western countries - including France - in the Middle East are partly responsible for the expansion of "terrorist" attacks. He urged President Hollande to change his policies and "work for the interest of the French people". Assad also criticised the president for ignoring the fact that some of France's allies support "terrorists" in Syria - a phrase he uses for all armed factions in Syria.

Buhari with G-7 leaders in Germany

President Muhammadu Buhari has described as shocking and sad terrorist attacks in Paris, saying it was dastardly and heinous. The President in a statement by his Special Adviser on‎ Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina‎, condemned the barbaric attacks saying they "constitute an unacceptable affront to all human values and civilized norms". He extended ‎his heartfelt sympathy to President Francois Hollande and the people France on behalf of the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and himself. The President also extended sincere condolences to the families, relatives and friends of the unfortunate victims of the callous attacks. He said, "As a country which has borne the terrible human cost of terrorist attacks, Nigeria stands in full solidarity with the government and people of France as they mourn those who have sadly lost their lives in the attack on Paris". President Buhari called on all peace-loving nations of the world to intensify ongoing multilateral cooperation and collaborative actions aimed at bringing the scourge of international terrorism to a speedy end for the benefit of all nations.

Soldiers on duty

The Nigerian troops have arrested another Boko Haram suspect in a local market in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital. The terror kingpin, John Trankil is however not among the 100 Boko Haram leaders recently declared wanted by the military. Spokesman of Operation Lafiya Dole, Col Tukur Gusau told journalists today in Maiduguri, that the suspect, John Trankil, was arrested at Kasuwar Shanu (Cattle market) in the metropolis. "Troops of 7 Division Garrison Nigerian Army in Operation LAFIYA DOLE, made a remarkable progress by arresting a Boko Haram Terrorist kingpin, Mr John Trankil, at Kasuwar Shanu in Maiduguri metropolis," he said. He disclosed that the suspect had revealed that nine of the Boko Haram men sneaked into the city armed with AK 47 assault rifle each and a Hilux vehicle laden with 20 Improvised Explosive Devices "meant to be detonated at some selected targets in the city." "The Theatre Commander operation LAFIYA DOLE, Major General Yusha'u Mahmood Abubakar, commended the efforts of the troops and renewed call for the troops and the public to be more vigilant and security conscious particularly at all check points, markets, worship centres, motor parks and schools," he said. He also said troops of 21 Brigade of the Nigerian Army discovered and destroyed Boko Haram's Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and Rocket-making factory along Bama-Gonin Kurmi within the outskirts of Bama town, Borno State while on offensive operations on the insurgents' location. He said the operation was supported by men of the Nigerian Airforce . He gave some of the items recovered to include gas cylinders, welding machine, pipes, poles and locally-made rocket shells. Others are large quantity of assorted chemicals, unprimed IEDs and various technical and laboratory equipment suspected to be stolen from schools' laboratories around Bama before they were dislodged from the area.

Fayose and Lai Mohammed

Ekiti state governor, Ayodele Fayose and Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, today engaged each other in a war of words over their stance of the controversial government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy. While Fayose accused Mohammed as unfit to occupy the position of a Minister, the latter insisted that the funds that have accrued to the TSA remain intact, challenging anyone who has any fact and figure to the contrary to make such information public. In a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, the Minister reiterated the fact that less than 2 trillion Naira has accured to the TSA, hence the one per cent charges on the amount could not have been 25 billion Naira. He said that apart from the resort to personal insults in the most undignifying statement ever credited to any state Governor in Nigeria, nowhere in the statement did Gov. Ayodele Fayose controvert the facts that the FG stated concerning the TSA. ''For the sake of Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora who have been following the TSA debate, we hereby restate the facts: - The TSA deal was initiated by the immediate past administration but only enjoyed a new lease of life under the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari because of his sterling leadershipqualities of accountability, transparency, uprightness and respect for the rule of law. - Any agreement on the TSA charges was reached long before the present Administration assumed office. - Even if the agreement on the charges is one per cent, it could not have amounted to 25 billion Naira because the total amount of money that has accrued to the TSA is less than 2 trillion Naira. - Even if one per cent was agreed as charges, whatever accrues therefrom was meant to be shared among the CBN, Systemspecs (the owner of the Remita software) and the commercial banks, hence no single company could have collected 25 billion Naira as charges - As at the time the controversy over the TSA broke, the total amount of money in the TSA was less than 800 billion Naira - The TSA has neither been enveloped in any fraud nor has any money from the account been diverted. - The Senate's investigation of the TSA issue is within its oversight responsibilities and is never a confirmation that the TSA funds have been diverted or that indeed one single company has made 25 billion Naira as charges. ''These are the issues and we stand by them, irrespective of a rabble-rousing and demeaning statement from any quarter,'' the Minister said Earlier, Governor Fayose in a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka described the Minister as unfit to speak for any decent government, saying; "he speaks like a tout." Olayinka, who reacted to statement by the Minister that Governor Ayodele Fayose and others kicking against President Muhammadu Buhari’s Treasury Single Account policy should return to elementary school, said it was shameful that the Minister ran away from the main issue and chose to attack personalities. He said; "Now that Daddy Lai Mohammed has been elevated to the position of the spokesperson of the Federal Government of Nigeria, he needs to be purged of the APC basket mouth syndrome that made him to speak like a tout." Governor Fayose's spokesperson insisted that the Federal Government must explain to Nigerians why and how it mortgaged their existence to a single company that has made what no manufacturing companies with thousands of employees can make in one month. He said "Ekiti State under Governor Fayose is managing its finances perfectly well without the Treasury Single Account, which is obviously aimed at enriching a few individuals at the expense of Nigerians." He advised President Buhari to urgently de-brief Lai Mohammed so that he will operate normally as a spokesperson of the government and not APC propagandist. Olayinka said; “At 63, Lai Mohammed should know that speaking for the federal government of Nigeria is different from speaking for the APC, which he did by always tying corn to his anus while dancing naked at the market place. “He should know that opposition is a major ingredient of democracy and any democratic government devoid of opposition must be ready to embrace anarchy. It is therefore the duty of Nigerians, especially the National Assembly to ask questions on the administration of the resources being held in trust for them by those in power and it is the responsibility of government at all levels to explain. "When a man like Lai Mohammed, who is employed and being paid with tax payers’ money now choses to insult Nigerians just because they ask questions, sane minds should pity the President who employed such a loquacious person to speak for his government. "As for Governor Fayose, he will continue to uphold the truth and speak in the overall interest of Nigerians, not minding the offensive odour emanating from the propaganda infected mouths of Lai Mohammed and his ilk."

Lamorde

Recently sacked Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Lamorde has fled the country under the guise of medical treatment to avoid appearing before a Senate panel probing his alleged diversion of over N1trillion in cash and assets recovered from corrupt public officials. At the resumed hearing of the fraud case today, Lamorde’s lawyer Mr Festus Keyamo, at a meeting with members of the Senate Committee on Ethics, said that Lamorde had gone abroad for medical treatment. Sources close to the embattled fat police officer however confirmed that he had to flee the country to avoid being indicted and prosecuted by government. One of the sources told iReports-ng.com that Lamorde has been treating his high blood pressure and diabetics ailments in Abuja before now and has no need to travel abroad for any treatment. Still a serving Commissioner of Police, Lamorde is equally running a Master degree programme at UK university. Lamorde was scheduled to appear before the Senate committee over allegations of mismanagement of funds recovered from suspects in cases handled by the EFCC under him. Mr Keyamo asked the committee on ethics to give his client, Mr Lamorde one month to conclude his medical treatment before appearing before the committee. However, the committee members disagreed, saying Mr Lamorde must appear before the committee on Tuesday, November 24. Tempers were high as committee members and Mr Keyamo engaged in an argument over the ability of the Senate to summon the former EFCC Chairman but while speaking to journalists after the hearing, Mr Keyamo insisted that the Senate had no right to summon his client.

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Results coming in from parts of Kogi state have so far put the All Progressives Congress, APC in early lead in today's governorship election. If the trend continues, APC candidate, Abubakar Audu of the APC is on the verge of returning to the Lugard Government House, thus truncating the second term bid of incumbent Governor Wada Idris of the People's Democratic Party, PDP.

A random view of the results coming in reveal the following: Methodist primary sch unit, Kabba APC 99 PDP 71, St Andrew kabba unit, APC 206, PDP 95, Ankpa ojoku ward bangele unit 1:PDP 346, APC 40; Kabba/Bunu St Barnabas Unit, Odolu Ward: APC 206 PDP 95; Ijumu Ayere unit 03: APC 101 PDP 58; AyegunleGdede/ Iluhafon ward: APC 167, PDP 41, Oja Otun Iyara: APC 146 PDP 36; Demonstration Kabba Okekoko ward: APC 171, PDP 70; Akefe unit: PDP 138, APC 117.

Meanwhile, failure of smart card readers, threats from miscreants loyal to political parties, apathy, occasioned by citing of polling units far from residential areas, were some of the challenges that confronted the Kogi governorship election in most parts of Lokoja, the state capital. The situation, resulted in an outright abandonment of the card readers for Incidence Forms in some polling units like 006 Adankolo, LGEA Primary School and Ajagbe Ward, where incidentally there was low turnout of voters. Commenting on the failure of the card readers, Kasim Husain, an INEC accredited local observer at Ajagbe Ward, lamented that the situation left the electoral officers with no other option than to resort to use of Incidence Forms to compliment the two remaining machines. “The only visible problem we have in this ward was the problem of failure of a Card Reader. INEC supplied three machines to this polling centre because it is one of the largest in the state capital, but one of them developed problem that they had to resort to use of Incidence Forms and the other two other machines,” he noted. Also commenting on the situation, a Justice and Equity Organisation accredited local observer, Bafunso Tunde, said: “After going round over 25 polling units in five local government areas, I can tell you that the biggest challenge was the failure of the card reader. By my rating, card reader performed below 20 per cent, which forced INEC to resort to the use of Incidence Forms to cover-up the problem. “Besides the card reader, with the prevailing security situation, we have to amend the law stopping security agents in charge of securing the voting centres from carrying arms. At this Adankolo Primary School, there were about seven boys that threatened the law enforcement agents with guns, they claimed they were carrying, ordering them to leave the voting centre and allow them to operate the way they want or they will start shooting. “They jumped the fence and left after the threat and everybody pretended as if nothing happened. Nobody accosted them certainly not even the armless policemen and there were no armed security personnel around to complement the armless ones.” In most voting centres, there were physical fighting and harassment among many of the voters interested in benefitting from the financial largesse openly shared by the agents of political parties assigned for that purpose in most parts of the voting centres. Some of the electorates got as high as N2000 in the cash for vote reward while others got just the N500 lowest benchmark from the parties scheming to outsmart each other. At Polling Unit 014 LGA Secretariat, some of the electorates even threw caution to the wind as they openly engaged each other in a physical combat over sharing of money. “As at 1.00am to 3.00am, some of the political parties gave amounts ranging from N3000 to N5000 as cash for vote, but it was for only those who could stay that late benefitted. We have to collect that money because once they win the election, they won’t care about us any longer. This is our own national cake,” it was further learnt.

Abubakar Audu

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the Kogi governorship election held on Saturday inconclusive. This, the electoral umpire attributed to the huge number of 49,953 votes cancelled in 91 polling units in parts of the state. In an ironic twist of fate, the leading APC governorship candidate in the governorship election, Prince Abubakar Audu has slumped and died in his country home while receiving supporters who were trooping into his house to congratulate him for taking a clear lead at the poll. Audu died at his Ogbonicha home, Ofu local government area of the state. The source close to the family said he passed on while sitting on the chair in his residence while receiving some visitors who had come to congratulate him on the election. The former governor who was on the verge of returning to the Lugard House as governor for the third time is believed to have died of exhaustion. The Returning Officer of the now truncated election, Professor Emmanuel Joseph Kucha, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Agriculture, Makurdi, had announced that the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abubakar Audu, won in 16 out of the 21 Local Government Areas with a total number of 240,867 votes against the five LGAs and total number of 199,514 votes secured by the incumbent, Governor Idris Wada of the People's Democratic Party (PDP). According to the Returning Officer, the margin of votes between the APC governorship candidate and the PDP candidate was in excess of 41,353, stressing that while the total number of registered and accredited voters stood at 1,379,971 and 511,648 respectively, while the number of valid and rejected votes stood at 459,983 and 21,351 respectively, putting the total number of total vote cast at 481,334. The results announced revealed that the APC candidate won in Okehi, Ajeokuta, Adavi, Kogi Keke (Kotonkarfi), Ijumu, Yagba East, Yagba West, Idah, Ibaji, Bassa, Igalamela, Olamaboro, Ofu, Kababulu, Lokoja, and Ankpa LGAs. The incumbent and PDP candidate only secured votes from LGAs like Dekina, Ogiri, Magongo, Okenyi and Okene with a total number of 199,514 votes. He stressed that the huge number of canceled votes were too much to declare any of the candidates of the two frontline political parties winner of the poll. According to him, "The margin between the two main two political parties, the PDP and APC 41353. The total number of registered voters in the 91 Polling Units cancelled is 49,953. Going by the INEC-approved Electoral Guideline for General Elections in Paragraph 4(10) a Returning Officer is directed to act as follows. "When margin of win between the two leading candidates is not in excess of the total number of registered voters at the Polling Units where elections are cancelled he cannot make a return until another poll is has taken place and the results incorporated into a new form for declaration. "In line with the commission's order therefore, the total number of registered voters where elections were cancelled or not held is in excess of the margin of win between the two leading candidates. Consequently, this election is therefore inconclusive and I hereby so declare it inconclusive." He said there were high incidences of ballot box snatching in many polling units, physical attack on electoral officers, outright rejection of Smart Card Readers in preference to manual voting, inadequate security personnel to guard the voting Centres and outright prevalence of over voting. The Collation Officer for Dekina Local Government, Joseph Ocheje, a lecturer with the Kogi State University narrated an incidence in a polling unit in Ayangba where political thugs engaged and subdued the armless security agents, beat up the electoral officers and snatched the electoral material, forcing a lady electoral officer to seek refuge inside a shrine. While lamenting that a significant number of 17,454 votes were cancelled in that local government, he narrated how the election has to be cancelled in a particular Ward because of insufficient security personnel, stressing that the election would not have been conducted with only two unarmed policemen. "The total cancellation of votes in the local government was 17454. The cancellation was necessitated by the inadequate security especially in a particular Ward where the electoral officers have only two policemen attached to them. They waited for the fortification of security but it did not come until they left the place. "There was a particular Ward in Ayangba, where political thugs invaded a polling unit battled with the few policemen, beat up the electoral officers and snatched the electoral materials. It was so bad that a lady electoral officer had to seek custody inside a shrine where she was rescued later," he narrated. In Olamaboro where election was cancelled in four Polling Units, the Collation Officer equally narrated a situation where hoodlums stormed a voting Centre, disguised as party agents. held electoral officers to ransom and started voting for those on the queue.

Accident scene

Tragedy befell the Catholic faithful in Anambra today when nine members of Catholic Women Organisation returning from a burial ceremony in Nawfija, Orumba South L.G.A., Anambra State were crushed to death in an auto crash when their bus collided with a tipper with 11 fatally wounded. The accident happened at about 7pm local time before Ajalli police station along Ekwulobia road while they were driving in their 18-seater church bus. According to eyewitnesses, the tipper driver who was apparently drunk smashed the women returning to their base in Nanka, the hometown of Catholic bishop of Awka, Most Revd. Paulinus Chukwuemeka Ezeokafor. They confirmed that six of the victims died on the spot while three more died later at the hospital while 10 were under intense care at the hospital, and another two transferred to Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Nnewi. The deceased include Mrs Susan Okafor , mother of Sr. Jane Francis Okafor, Mother-General of Sisters of Jesus The Saviour Elele, Rivers State; Mrs Alice Nwankwo Igbidi; Mrs Christiana Iloh; Mrs Catherine Okafor Agu; Mrs Veronica Ezibe ; Mrs Rose Ogbunankwo, Secretary of the parish council; Mrs Therese Okoligan; Mrs Fedrick Ezeonwu and Mr Samuel Offormata known as Ashanti, the driver of the ill-fated bus. The two women transferred to Nnewi were Mrs Uju Obiechina and Mrs Rose Ette. Speaking on behalf of the victims’ families, Dr Ugochukwu Okwuba, Medical Officer, Aguata local government area who was short of words, said the victims were all his relatives and they were speechless since such has never happened in their village. Meanwhile, the tipper driver was said to have fled even as the DPO Ajalli, CSP Patrick Odoemelem and his team were still on ground as at the time of this report.

APC headquarters under siege

Supporters of James Abiodun Faleke, a deputy governorship candidate for APC in the inconclusive Kogi guber polls and those of Yahaya Bello, the runner-up in the party’s primaries that produced the late Abubakar Audu, engaged one another in a free-for-all fight at the party’s headquarters in Abuja today. Before the intervention of security forces, comprising a detachment of army, police, department of Security Services and paramilitary agencies like the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the three major tribes in Kogi; Igala, Igbira and Okun broke into camps and unleashed terror on each other while the APC National Working Committee was meeting with the leading candidates on the replacement of late Abubakar Audu for the December 5 supplementary election. Stones and other weapons were freely hauled at each other with many sustaining various degrees of injuries, while cars and other property were damaged by the rampaging supporters that arrived the APC headquarters in buses. Trouble started when Faleke, the deputy governorship candidate to Audu for the November 21 governorship poll stormed the headquarters with retinue of his supporters, grounding vehicular movement at the Blantyre street office of the APC chanting pro -Faleke and war songs. The Bello group who had stationed themselves at the other end of the street responded with anti Faleke songs, resulting into a crisis that degenerated into clashes that almost overwhelmed security agencies posted to control the rampaging crowd. As the situation degenerated into an uncontrollable situation with weapons used freely by the protesters, several of them sustained serious injuries with three bleeding protesters rushed out of the venue, cars including the one belonging to an AIT reporter were badly damaged. It took the arrival of the reinforcement of a special mobile police squad from the Police Force Headquarters and a team of military officers to push back the rival warring groups who retreated to ends of the street, waiting for the final outcome of the long hour meeting. After few minutes of the arrival of the special force, the situation was brought under control, roads were barricaded, subjecting all the passers-by and other persons who have something to do at the headquarters to a thorough screening and scrutiny before allowing them to pass or gain entrance into the complex. When the NWC meeting finally ended, it was obvious that it was stalemated as Faleke who addressed journalists rejected the decision of the party to endorse Bello as the candidate for this weekend’s supplementary election, insisting that he remains the governor-elect. According to him: “I got the invitation for the meeting through text messages and letters. The issue of Kogi State was paramount in the mind of our national leaders especially our national chairman, who wanted a solution to the situation. “But, after meeting for about two hours, we discovered that the meeting we were invited for was just a mere briefing instead of meeting we should be invited to deliberate on the way forward for the party. We were only briefed on the position of the party that they have nominated Alhaji Yahaya Bello as candidate for the party. “We however made it clear that as political family of the late Abubakar Audu, we are not going to accept the decision. I told the chairman in clear terms that I have submitted a letter to INEC this morning distancing myself from that position and that I don’t want to be associated with the decision of the party to pair me with Bello because I am already governor-elect. “I also told the chairman that as Kogi state political family, we are not taking part in the supplementary election, my name cannot be submitted because I was not consulted in the first place and that the governor-elect cannot then become another deputy governorship candidate. “I want to make it very clear that Yahaya Bello did not take part in all our political party process. The INEC wants to conduct election in 91 polling units out of 2445 polling units or thereabout which he did not participate. “We have made it very clear that if they go ahead to conduct the election, it will be challenged in the court of law since I have pulled out of it. We are certainly going to challenge it and we will not be talking to Nigerians if the party has toed the path of honour of going to court to challenge INEC but they decided otherwise that the party will not go to court. I told them if the party cannot go to court, we have taken it upon ourselves to defend our rights to challenge that decision.”

Sambo Dasuki in court

Operatives of Nigeria’s secret police, the Department of State Services (DSS) has arrested Sambo Dasuki, former national security adviser (NSA), after laying siege to his Abuja residence for three weeks. Dasuki is currently being grilled at the DSS headquarters in Abuja over allegations of stealing $2bn. Mr Dasuki is accused of awarding phantom contracts to buy 12 helicopters, four fighter jets and ammunition. He denies the allegations. The equipment was meant for the fight against Boko Haram Islamist militants in Northeast, Nigeria. Mr Dasuki was picked up early in the morning by security agents. Two weeks ago, President Muhammadu Buhari ordered Mr Dasuki's arrest after he was indicted by a panel investigating the procurement of arms under the last administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan. He was said to have been picked up by intelligence agents from his home in the capital, Abuja, where he was already under house arrest facing separate charges. His arrest follows those of some of his associates by Nigeria's Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Monday. The anti-corruption body said they included former Minister of State for Finance Bashir Yuguda and the sons of some prominent politicians of the former ruling party over allegations of impropriety in relation to the arms deal. Earlier, Mr Dasuki said he had not been given a chance to defend himself before the investigative panel and described its recommendation as "politically motivated". Mr Dasuki played a prominent role in Nigeria's fight against Boko Haram. The former army colonel is already facing a trial for allegedly possessing illegal firearms. He is the first senior official of the former government to be charged under the rule of President Muhammadu Buhari, who took in office on May 29. The president was elected partly on a promise to clean up Nigeria's notoriously corrupt politics and Dasuki's arrest will reinforce President Buhari's message that he will not tolerate corruption no matter how senior the official. Boko Haram has killed thousands in north-eastern Nigeria in its six-year campaign to create an Islamic state. Prior to his arrest, a federal high court in Abuja granted him leave to travel abroad for medical treatment, but the state police refused to comply with the order of the court. Despite the subsisting order, the DSS asked the same court, presided over by Adeniyi Ademola, to revoke the bail it granted Dasuki on September 1 on the grounds that the accused person was being investigated for corruption and other criminal matters. Dasuki has denied the allegations of corruption against him, saying that former President Goodluck Jonathan approved all the contracts that were awarded by his office, but the former president denied giving such approvals. ‎ He has also described his trial by the federal government as a “witch hunt”, maintaining that he is innocent of all the charges. The hearing of the application on “bail revocation” is expected to come up on Thursday. Dasuki has been accused of receiving an extra-budgetary allocation of $2.1 billion from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) within nine months. His arrest came two weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari ordered the service to apprehend him and other persons indicted by the investigative committee set up to audit the procurement of arms and equipment in the armed forces and defence sector from 2007 to date.

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